Tag: DallasCon

Sunday is always a fun day at a Supernatural con – also always the most hectic! It’s alot more fun (and a bit less hectic) if you have a ton of friends there to help out in the vendor room and to share the special moments with during panels and photo ops and autographs. Some of my favorite people in the entire universe were at Dallas con, so Sunday was extra fun.

And Jared and Jensen were there too, which definitely makes the day special.

The gold panel kicked off the day at 10:30, which felt much too early to both of us. And to Jensen, who savored his customary cup of Starbucks in between answering fan questions.

Lynn: The floof is impressive from the side, isn’t it? (Okay, who am I kidding, it’s impressive from any and all angles. Jensen’s recent back-to-work selfie proved that beyond a doubt)

Jared wore his customary gold panel beanie, which I think is as much a security blanket as Jensen’s coffee and allows them both to wake up and get comfy with the crowd as they settle back into con space.

Jared’s beanie really brings out his beautiful eyes, doesn’t it?

A fan asked about their Saturday routine when they’re at a con. Jared prefers a steakhouse dinner, which he says they often have the night before a con in whatever city they happen to be in. Jensen said that he works out in the morning, so he sleeps in as late as he can.

Lynn: I’m with you, Jensen. Also, the floof is out of control in this next photo – and eye crinkles! And that little boy grin! Kim captured some of my favorite moments, which always makes me happy because I can just concentrate on my live tweeting. I no longer even bring my actual camera when I know Kim’s going to be sitting next to me – why bother?

They were also asked about advice for planning a wedding.

Kim: I especially loved Jensen’s answer; as a wedding photographer, I take it as my responsibility to make sure the bride and groom have a quiet moment to themselves. Jensen said someone had given him that advice, to make the time to sit back and take it all in and enjoy the moment.

Lynn: I’m sure someone else more memorable gave Jensen that advice, but I got momentarily excited because I gave him that advice too. Shortly before his wedding, I was at an album release party in LA and Jensen was there. I must have had one drink too many, because I ended up giving him unsolicited wedding advice about the importance of making sure that he and Danneel had FUN, and not getting too caught up in worrying about all the details. I guess I kept patting his shoulder enthusiastically to emphasize the importance of this advice, to my great embarrassment when a friend helpfully pointed that out after the fact.

Before I get started with the recap of the Saturday Night Special in Dallas, I’d like to say a few words about concert photography. It is, in fact, its own very complex skillset. Not only do you have to anticipate the musicians’ movements, waiting for just the right moment, but you also need to feel the emotion, and then find a way to frame it, to capture it in a way that translates that moment in time. On top of that, there’s the challenge of stage lighting. (insert appropriate gif of me screaming here) Listen, I love the stage lighting for these concerts, I really do. Essentially the center of the stage is well lit, with normal lighting, but the sides of the stage are darker and the lighting is more blue, even purple. It lends to the energy and passion of the music being played on the stage. But let me tell ya, it does prove quite difficult when editing the photos. I could’ve spent days trying to color correct, but alas, I did not. Instead, I just went with the blue and purple hues cast upon the faces of the performers. I actually kinda like it, and I hope the photos in this article will somehow bring you into the moment with me.

I have written many, many recaps/reviews of Louden Swain’s Saturday Night Specials. Sometimes I think that I have exhausted my vocabulary of adjectives and adverbs as I try to explain to you just how much I love Louden Swain. But it’s summertime, so…

When I was a kid – just a few years ago LOL – I loved amusement parks and all the rides: the slower rides, like the bumper cars or the carousel; the water rides, which often left me drenched, a welcome relief from the heat of a summer day; and the thrill rides, like the ones that spin you around to the point of utter dizziness, to the rollercoasters that slowly carry you up the hill then send you flying down the other side, often turning you upside-down and sideways and all of it at heart-stopping speeds. At some point, a waterpark was added, and I loved that too, especially the lazy river… it was so relaxing to just float along the path, to have a quiet moment away from the loud hustle of the rides.

And, of course, I went to the park with friends, often part of a large group, so it was also nice when we’d all meet to eat some lunch, and share stories about having good times with good friends, laughing and screaming and riding the rides.

That, my friends, is a Louden Swain concert. These concerts are an adrenaline-filled thrill ride, with all the energy and excitement of an amusement park – from speeding rollercoasters full of heart-stopping thrills, to lazy rivers that slow things down and soothe one’s soul. These concerts are good times with good friends, from Borja, smiling as he plays bass or keyboards, to Stephen pounding away on the drums in time with the beating of our hearts.

These concerts are Billy, meticulously, methodically, melodiously fingering that guitar, filling us with wave after wave after crashing wave of emotion. (hashtag allthegasms)

These concerts are Rob, playing that guitar, singing those lyrics, taking us on all the rides, leading us upward on the rollercoaster and filling us with anticipation and excitement… speeding downward, knowing the thrill that comes with the speed… then walking with us as we settle into the lazy river, slowing it down with lyrics full of heartbreak and heartache and pain and love. And at the end of the night, Rob is there to light the fireworks and take us through one last moment of excitement and awe. Yes, these concerts are Rob, the true Master of Ceremonies.

I won’t keep going with these metaphors. Instead, I’ll say sit back and relax, and just enjoy this ride.

Louden Swain came onto the stage before the lights came on. They were shadowy figures up there, moving into position. The first chords were played, chords I knew oh so well. Slowly, the stage lights came on, Rob and Billy and Borja softly playing their guitars, Stephen tapping the cymbals. Then Rob began to sing, “There is just one bottle left to open…” And it begins! The song is called “Reunion” and it is one of my favorites! It’s a high energy song, one that builds slowly and erupts into a full out rock song. On top of the music, it has great lyrics. Whenever I’m struggling, these words seep into my mind, into my soul, a constant reminder: “I’m alive and I’m still tryin.” #LifeMotto

That means Misha day and Saturday Night Special day as well as plenty of other panels that brought the laughter (and occasionally the emotional grab for the tissues).

Here are my (Kim’s) thoughts and photos from Day 2 of SPN Dallas. SNS post coming up soon!

Briana Buckmaster was the first panel on Saturday morning, and let me tell ya, what a joy it is to start the day with her! She had several things to say about Supernatural, including:

If she could play another character on the show, she would like to play Ash… or maybe Cas… then she speculated how it would go if she were Cas and Misha were Donna? Sounds like an episode worth watching! She also said she thinks Donna would be completely fascinated by Rowena, but really, aren’t we all? Briana also said there have been rumors of a musical episode this season, and while she is in No Way confirming these rumors as truth, she did say that If there is a musical episode, then she wants to be in it. #YesPlease #IdWatchThat

Briana also had some interesting insights into her character, Donna. She said, “I love people who are aware of their trauma and they’re working through it. I think I’d love Donna because she’s like that and we both like to connect with people.” On the other hand, she said, “I don’t think I would have been as strong as Donna when she said ‘This is who I am’ and let Doug go.” It’s interesting that the characters in Supernatural are so richly written that they inspire not only us, the fans, but the characters who play them as well.

She also talked about her friendship with Kim Rhodes, telling us she bought rings for both of them when the spinoff didn’t get picked up. The rings have shields on them and they both wear the rings every day.

I did not have the opportunity to attend one of the Supernatural conventions in the years they were previously in Dallas, so when they announced they were returning, I quickly bought my ticket! And this con definitely did not disappoint! It was a wonderful weekend spent with good friends, in spite of it being so hot outside. The venue is literally in a field in the middle of nowhere, at least an 8-10 minute drive to the nearest hotel, or food, or lattes (as my partner in crime, Lynn, desperately needs, lol)

[This post is by Kim, in case you didn’t figure that out. It’s true, I do need my morning latte. And sometimes my afternoon one. Good thing that Dallas con was populated by tons and tons of friends! Kim and I stayed with one of them, her husband and kids graciously welcoming four of us into their home. That meant not only four additional people in the house, but nightly Supernatural rewatch viewings and people coming and going at all sorts of times. But combine Texas hospitality with SPN Family hospitality and you’ve got — well, you’ve got brisket cooked all day on the bbq and homemade potato salad and cole slaw and some of the best damn drinks I’ve ever had (shout out to bartender hubby!) That also meant there was always someone stopping by Starbucks or sneaking in some lunch for hungry vendors. Thank you to everyone who was so kind, it made the entire con so much fun]

[Okay, back to Kim’s Friday wrap up and beautiful photos…] — Lynn

The convention kicked off on Friday with our favorite band, Louden Swain, and perhaps the best emcee in the entirety of the world, Mr. Richard Speight Jr. In their opening, Richard attempted to chastise Rob for his love of corn nuts… and a fan actually had a bag of corn nuts that she quickly tossed at Rob. And the giggles and laughter and jokes began, and listen, this is why I’m here. For the laughter, not the corn nuts.

The hotel didn’t get any better on Sunday, but it was even harder to care when we had Jared and Jensen and Julian to entertain us, not to mention Rob and Rich.

I had a chance to chat with Megan Padalecki, who was there to sell her new book, Little Moon. The tiniest member of our family absolutely LOVES her first book, Big Mo, so of course I had to buy this one too. I introduced her to Monica, the production manager for Family Don’t End With Blood, and they totally hit it off. In fact, they sort of geeked out together in animated conversation about printing stock and such things that are far above my pay grade. Meanwhile, I chatted with Jared’s lovely parents, who wanted to know all about the new book and how their son’s chapter had turned out (AMAZING!!!) Soon the Padaleckis will have two published authors in the family, I said, which put a smile on their faces.

Jared and Jensen took the stage for the morning gold panel looking amazing (not a shock, I know) and seeming well rested and in a good mood. Texas agrees with them, I think – they always seem to be in an extra laid back good mood when they’re in their home state.